Night Activities Astronomy Night Hike The clear skies of Catalina Island provide a perfect location for stargazing! As lead by their instructor, students hike above Cherry Cove, far above the lights of camp, to get a better view of the heavens above. Turning their gaze skyward, students observe as the instructor points out the visible planets of our solar system and many constellations. Instructors often use a storytelling approach to focus on various mythologies of the stars, planets, sun and moon as they highlight people's personal and cultural relationships with the night sky.
Squid Dissection As led by an instructor, students begin this lab by learning basic biology and behavior of Loligo opalescens, the California Market Squid. Students then participate in a simple dissection, discovering the internal and external anatomy of the squid.
Deep Sea Creatures Thousands of feet beneath the surface of the ocean exists an amazing diversity of life, much of which is still a mystery, or completely unknown, to humans! This very deep water presents many challenges to the survival of both animals and plants. Organisms have had to evolve, adapt and develop behaviors to deal with the almost complete lack of light, extraordinarily cold water and intense pressure. In this lab, instructors use games, activities, demonstrations, and slides of benthic (bottom of the ocean) and mid-water creatures to help students discover how these amazing organisms communicate, navigate, feed, breathe and survive in these extreme conditions. Preserved specimens of actual bioluminescent deep-sea animals are also used; they're a fantastic aide in helping students understand the wonders and the difficulty of coping with the deep!
Night Snorkel Snorkeling Cherry Cove at night is a completely different experience than during the day! The nocturnal undersea world comes alive as a wide range of animals that were asleep in the daylight, become active. Using underwater flashlights and glow sticks, students plunge right in, keeping their eyes open for stingrays, horn sharks, lobster and octopus, all of which are commonly seen at night. When the flashlights are turned off, bioluminescence -- glowing fluorescent green plankton -- dance through the water. Students usually finish the night snorkel both excited about what they've seen and with a sense of accomplishment after successfully taking on the challenge of the cold water, night air and darkness!
Marine Mammals Marine Mammals are among the most awe-inspiring animals on earth! From the colossal Blue Whale, at 110 feet long the largest animal known to have ever existed, to the bottlenose dolphin, with its high intelligence and complex social structures, to the playful California Sea Lion. These animals have always captured the imagination, probably in part because they are so similar to humans in so many ways, yet live in such a drastically different environment.
Students touch and examine a variety of bones, skulls and fur pelts and watch a video and slide presentation of the cetaceans and pinnipeds found off Catalina Island. Throughout these presentations, the instructor guides the students through discussions of Marine Mammal classification, anatomy and unique adaptive features as well as the many intriguing behaviors that Marine Mammals display.
Environmental Awareness Activities Divided into small groups, students collaborate in a number of critical thinking activities, games and demonstrations that are designed to highlight human and cultural effects on our natural resources. Instructors will guide the student groups through discussions of the environmental effects of our actions and conclude with suggestions and ideas on positive actions we can take to help the environment in our everyday lives.
|
